Drake has recruited the help of Atlanta rapper Future to reignite his feud with Kendrick Lamar in a new song released Friday.
Titled "Ran to Atlanta," the song is part of the newly released album ICEMAN, one of three albums surprisingly dropped by the artist at the same time.
The feud between Drake and Lamar dominated music conversations in 2024 as the artists released numerous targeted diss tracks. Lamar's song "Not Like Us" went viral, taking him to the Grammys stage and the Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans.
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Now, Drake is bringing the lyrical conflict back and dragging Atlanta into the conversation once again.
'Ran to Atlanta' calls out Lamar in chorus
Future kicks off the track "Ran to Atlanta" saying he's "cuttin' ties" and doing "whatever it gon' take to get lil' bro out the can."
He then calls Drake "twin," and Drake jumps in with the song's chorus.
Know what I'm saying'?Outsiders back to what it was, you know what I'm sayin'?Atlanta'll tell you 'bout my run, you know what I'm sayin'?Ask Pluto, Bank or 21, you know what I'm sayin'?
Fans were quick to point out the similarities in the lyrics and the name of the song to lyrics from Lamar's Grammy-winning song "Not Like Us," which calls Drake out by name. In the third verse, Lamar accuses Drake of performing shows in Atlanta when he needs a confidence boost — or a check.
Atlanta was the Mecca, buildin' railroads and trainsBear with me for a second, let me put y'all on gameThe settlers was usin' townfolk to make em' richerFast-forward, 2024, you got the same agendaYou run to Atlanta when you need a check balance
Lamar's lyrics were interpreted as a reference to another Drake song, "Family Matters," in the back-and-forth of their diss tracks, where Drake calls Lamar an "activist" and says his friends are "dippin' to Atlanta." Lamar has repeatedly referred to Atlanta as the "Mecca" for Black culture in his work.
Where does Future fit in Drake-Kendrick feud?
The professional-turned-personal feud between Drake and Lamar allegedly began more than a decade ago when Lamar was starting to have more success in the rap genre, despite the two working together on previous projects.
Lamar took aim at big names in rap in his collaboration with Big Sean's song "Control." Drake called the take "ambitious" at the time and said Lamar wasn't coming for him, but if he did, they would cross that bridge.
Subtle shots were taken at one another over the next few years through their music, until 2024, when Lamar went after Drake directly on a song with Future and Metro Boomin. "Like That" lyrics said there was no "Big 3" in rap, and it was just Lamar at the top of his game. Lamar previously won a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018 for his 2017 album DAMN.
Then the diss tracks took off, with Drake and Lamar working overtime to release music as the attention around the feud rose.
Future has been featured on songs from both artists, some of which include disses at one another. In an interview with GQ, Future said he "didn't know they had nothing going on," but the author noted Future said this with a "smirk." Future went on to say he was confused by the "Big 3" debate, and he was "so player" he didn't feel the need to speak on it.
"If I didn't get made, nobody should have gotten mad," Future told the outlet. "Got no reason to be mad at nobody. I just told you, I'm chilling. Do I sound like I'm mad at anybody?"
Future moved to the Atlanta metro when he was young and was raised in Decatur, Georgia. He released his first album in 2012 after his first mixtape was released in 2010.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drake reignites Kendrick feud in 'Ran to Atlanta' release
